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Italian Tomato-Pesto Loaf (Savory Babka)

Oh, this amazingly soft and delicious loaf with juicy tomatoes and pesto...yum. I really didn't know how to name this dish as when my family tasted they said that do not ever name this dish Babka :D

But it really is Babka but in a different look and with a spoon of Italian taste! But do you actually know what Babka is?


Let me introduce you into this incredible dish, which will be eaten in no time :D


Babka or Bobka (meaning grandmother in Polish) is a sweet braided bread or cake of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, popular in Israel, in American Jewish cuisine, and elsewhere in the Jewish diaspora. It is prepared with a yeast-leavened dough that is rolled out and spread with a filling such as chocolate, cinnamon, fruit, or cheese, then rolled up and braided before baking.


Babka developed in the Jewish community in Poland in the early 19th century. Extra challah dough was rolled up with fruit jam or cinnamon and baked as a loaf alongside the challah. Chocolate was not originally used, as it was not generally available; the chocolate babka was likely a mid-20th century American development. Its name (though not necessarily the dish itself) may be related to a type of Easter cake popular in Poland and Ukraine also known as baba or the diminutive babka, which means "grandmother" in Polish, related to the Yiddish bubbe.


Babka was mostly unheard of outside of the Polish Jewish community until the latter part of the 20th century. European-style bakeries started to offer it in late 1950s Israel and in the US. In addition to chocolate, various fillings including poppy seeds, almond paste, cheese, and others became popular, and some bakers began to top it with streusel. *source

Find the recipe below!

Prep: 2h 30 min (2h are just waiting for the dough to rise)

Cook time: 30 min

Level: medium

Servings: 2 loaves (divided into 8 portions)

Calories per serving: 280 kcal

Find the recipe & nutrition facts below :


For the yeast:

  • 2/3 cup warm water(not hot) (or plant milk)

  • 1 tbsp sugar (do not substitute)

  • 1 tbsp flour

  • 1 pcs. dry yeast (7 gr.)

For the dough:

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 5 tbsp vegan butter (margarine/coconut butter)

For the filling:

  • 4 tbsp pesto

  • 1 medium tomato (chopped)

Method:

Step 1: In a medium bowl mix together warm water with 1 tbsp of sugar, flour and add the dry yeast. Set aside for 10 mins.

Step 2: In a large bowl place flour and add in salt, vegan butter, and yeast mixture and start mixing until you form a non-sticky dough.

Step 3: Form a ball and cover with a kitchen towel. Set aside in a warm place for around an hour or until the dough double its size.

Step 4: Sprinkle some flour on a kitchen surface, cut the dough ball in half, place one half on the surface and roll it out in a 1-2 cm thin rectangle.

Step 5: Spread evenly with 2 tbsps of pesto and sprinkle half of a chopped tomato, so the dough is covered evenly with pesto and tomato.

Step 6: Roll it in one huge roll and cut vertically in 2 equal pieces. Split both pieces into a twist carefully move your twist into a loaf silicone pan and cover with a kitchen towel. Set aside in a warm place for around an hour or until the dough double its size.

Step 7: Repeat with the other half of the dough.

Step 8: Preheat oven to 180C. (355F)

Step 9: Bake your twists for around 25-30 minutes.

 
 
 

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